by Cory Woodroof | Mar 27, 2012 | Uncategorized
If you have ever walked past High Rise or taken a drive down Granny White, you might notice a booming building with large smokestacks, constantly pouring steam into the sky. Have you ever wondered what goes on inside? The Steam Plant, one of campus’ primary HVAC facilities, serves as an important part of our community. Dave Sutton, the HVAC supervisor on campus, gave me a look inside the Steam Plant, offering some insight into his job and the services offered by the large facility. Sutton, going on eight years as the HVAC supervisor, oversees the Steam Plant, as well as other heat and ventilation facilities on campus. Sutton offered insight on what really goes on inside the Steam Plant. “The main function for serving campus is just to provide heat and domestic hot water during the winter time,” Sutton said. The Steam Plant is made up of different boilers, pumps, tanks and other machines. A water treatment facility also finds its home in the Steam Plant. Modern advances in technology have allowed for automatic controls to monitor the boilers. Previously, a coal fire boiler was used to carry out the functions the current boilers perform. “[The boilers] used to have to be manned 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Now, we just do controls. We only have to check [the controls] twice a shift,” Sutton said. Sutton must remain vigilant with his job in case of any on-campus emergencies regarding utilities. “I’m pretty much on call 24/7, so I’ve been called in here numerous times in the middle of the night. When a boiler goes down or...
